Past trigging prank
by Ahai
Summary: Alfred set Arthur up on the tv show "Scare tactics", but it left Arthur affected somehow..
1. The prank

"What's up!" Tracy Morgan said to the viewers.

"Time for a brand new, heart jumping episode of scare tactics!" Tracy sat down on the chair.

"Today we have the Brit Arthur, he got a job as an assistant for a crime investigation, but his ex-brother wants to teach him a lesson"

The TV show showed a bit of Alfred, his ex-brother.

"Hi, I wanted to put Artie on scare tactics because he always used to scare me when I was a kid and he is hard to scare."

Alfred smirked.

"I hope this will scare him!"

Back to Tracy Morgan.

"Not sure how they are ex-brothers but will make the accomplice`s ex-anything!"

Tracy looked intensely to the camera.

"Beware Arthur, you will either see a ghost, a vampire or an ax crazy Scotsman."

"

The little apartment wasn't far away. Arthur and the inspector were going in to check out what happened.

"Thanks for helping out on this investigation" The inspector said to Arthur.

"No problem" Arthur, the victim, said.

"It's weird not having my usual partner around; I wonder where he could have gone"

"You don't know?" Arthur asked.

"No, it's like he have disappeared" The inspector took a deep breath "Enough about that, lets investigate"

As they opened the door they went in to investigate. The apartment was dark, cold and creepy in many ways. Arthur could feel a bit of fear enter him. He remembered that whenever he saw those stupid horror movies with Alfred he would never feel fear because he knew that it was just a movie and nothing in it were real, it all were just acting. However, being in this apartment felt like being in a real life horror movie.

"Do you see anything suspicious?" The inspector asked.

"No, nothing" Arthur answered.

The case was about a group of people that were missing. According to a source it was said that they would find some clues in this apartment. Arthur wasn't really sure what he was looking for. Was it possible that they could find one of the persons in this place? Arthur went in to a room with a heap of leaves on the floor.

"_What in the world?" _Arthur thought.

The room didn't have any window, so how and why was it leaves inside? Arthur came closer to the leaves to see if it was something suspicious. Arthur rummaged the leaves, tried to look after something. After shoving away a lot of leaves, Arthur saw something. He poked the thing gently.

"Oh my bloody God!" Arthur exclaimed.

A hand came out from the leaves and grabbed his wrist! The hand, heck, the whole arm was covered with cuts, bruises and blood.

"What happened, what is going on?" The inspector came in.

Arthur felt there was no need to explain, the situation explained itself.

"Help me!" A young woman came out of the leaf heap, dragging Arthur down to her level.

"What happened?" Arthur asked her, whimpering as the woman grabbed his shoulders hard.

The woman was breathing fast and she dug her nails deeper in Arthurs shoulders, making him almost scream in pain.

"He has killed many of them and now he will kill me!"

"Who? Who is going to kill you?" The inspector sat down next to Arthur, tried to make the woman let go of Arthur's shoulders.

"I don't know who he is, he wears a skirt, smokes like a chimney and his hair is so red!"

Arthur's eyes widened at the description. However, some corrections were needed. It is not a skirt, but a kilt, he does not smoke like a chimney, he smokes like a whole factory! And yes, his hair is red, red as his temper.

"No, it cannot be…" Arthur mumbled.

The next thing that happened was fierce knocking from the closet that was in front of them. All three jumped and now the woman grabbed the inspector. The knocking got louder, the closet door was ripped off and suddenly lots of people came out of the closet. It was a closet door with people locked up inside! How big was this closet? The people looked pretty messed up. They were dirty, had a terrified expression on their faces, some had cuts and bruises, like the found woman, and some were unconscious.

"He is here!" The woman said and had her arms around the inspector's neck, almost choking him.

But the inspector didn't die from choking; suddenly a bullet was shot in his chest! The woman's face got covered with his blood and she let go of his neck, screaming in horror.

The shooting continued. The rest of the people from the closet got shot and then the woman got shot in the back as she ran away, trying to escape. Arthur was the only one remaining. He looked around wide eyed and in shock. Was Arthur some sort of the final prize for the killer?

"Please, don't let it be you" Arthur said and sat down in some sort of a praying position.

"Oh? Haven't ye missed me, wee brother?"

Suddenly Arthur could smell cigarette smoke and feel a scary aura. It was not Russia, but Arthur wanted it to be Russia rather than the one who was coming. Arthur turned his head and saw the person he feared the most: His big brother, Allistor.

"

Allistor came in through the door behind Arthur. He carried a huge hunter gun and had a smug smirk on his face. Now Arthur really wished it all was just a nightmare. He knew that Allistor always was a wild one, but he never imagined him to be an insane killer!

"Any last words, Artie?" Allistor pointed the gun at him.

It all was over for him now. Arthur could not run away, he had to share the same faith as the people lying around him on the floor.

"Please don't do this…" Arthur said in a cry chocked voice.

"Why? Are ye scared?" Allistor put his finger on the trigger.

Arthur bit his lip, trying not to cry. If he was going to die, he would not die crying.

"Are ye scared?!" Allistor yelled, making echo in the room.

"I am terrified" Arthur said.

"Ye should not be…." Allistor smirked again.

Arthur looked at him with a slight confused face.

"…..cause you are on scare tactics!" The inspector sat up.

Arthur looked around. The persons who were shot sat up and showed no sign of pain or injury.

"Alfred set you up" Allistor put the gun to his shoulder.

Arthur was astonished. There were various feelings that build up in him right now; anger, humiliation, remained fear, shock and some other feelings he wasn't sure what it was. Shortly after finding out he was just a victim in a TV show, finding out it all was just a joke, he remained sitting on the floor panting. Alfred came in to the room and gave Arthur a bottle of water.

"I really got you now, didn't I? "Alfred said, in a proud tone.

Arthur took a sip of water and then looked at him with a death glare.

"You bloody git!" Arthur yelled at him.

Arthur got up and stomped toward the door.

"

Back to Tracy Morgan.

"Wow, there guys really needs family therapy!"

Then the show was over.

* * *

**Arthur got really angry at this. How long will he stay that way? Wait for the next chapter to find out:)**

**If you don't know: Scare Tactics is a hidden camera/comedy television show that puts victims into terrifying situations , the victims, generally four per episode, are set up by friends/family in tandem with producers. I recommend to watch scare tactics, it funny XD**


	2. Revelation

Things have gotten tense between Alfred and Arthur ever since Alfred set him up on scare tactics. Whenever the victims from scare tactics find out that they are in no danger, they usually laugh with the actors and such. Arthur just walked away with a pissed expression. When the countries were gathered for world meetings and such, Arthur walked away or didn't respond every time Alfred tried to talk to him. Alfred did notice how the other countries, employers of the building, the bosses and some strangers recognized him and was all like:

"Oh that the one from the crazy Scot episode!"

Arthur never stopped or said something when they said anything, he just ignored them. It was a part of his personality, to deny anything affectionate, embarrassing and all that. Alfred sees that he gets all fired up but Arthur always shut the true feelings inside. Arthur was just so damn stubborn!

"

At a new country gathering Arthur still refused to talk to Alfred. They sat far from each other and Arthur had his eyes looking down on his paper all the time.

"_Did I go too far?" _Alfred thought.

Alfred tried to imagine himself in Arthur's shoes. There have been many times that Arthur had pulled scary pranks on him, but the pranks were harmless and none of them involved mass murder! And the fact that it all was on TV many people all over the world that saw Arthur become terrified at something that everybody would be deadly scared off, made Alfred's guilt grow inside him. Alfred has always thought that there was nothing that could ever scare Arthur. Alfred always forced him to watch horror movies with him and Arthur always laughed at the movies while Alfred clutched himself to a pillow.

"_But if it was me who was set up on scare tactics…" _Alfred thought.

If it was him instead of Arthur, he would probably have died of fear. Not only would a situation like that be terrifying but Allistor was actually pretty scary for just being him. Alfred remembers how he was shaking and scared while asking Allistor to be the villain in this prank.

"_I have to apologize" _

As he looked at Arthur yet again he saw that his position hasn't changed at all, Arthur still looked at his paper.

"

After the gathering Alfred followed Arthur. He tried to follow him in a sneaky way so he could find the right opportunity and place to talk to him without being in front of others and hopefully a place where he couldn't run away. Alfred saw Arthur go inside a room.

"_Now is my chance!" _ Alfred thought.

Carefully he opened the door and looked inside. It was a small room which only included chairs and small tables.

"_Must be a storage room" _Alfred guessed.

He didn't see Arthur so he went inside the room. Without a sound he closed the door and blocked it with the small tables. With his super strength it was not hard for Alfred to do so.

"What are you doing?!" A voice said.

Alfred turned around and saw Arthur standing there with books in his arms.

"Are you putting me on scare tactics again you wanker?" Arthur was getting mad.

Alfred walked towards Arthur.

"No, no, I want to talk to you and now I have to make sure that you won't walk away this time"

Alfred looked at the books Arthur was carrying.

"Why are you in here, by the way?"

Arthur put the books on one of the remaining tables that was not used to block the door and held one book up.

"I went to the library before the gathering and I had to put them away somewhere"

Arthur placed the book down on the table and looked at Alfred fiercely.

"Just say what you bloody want to say and let me out!"

Alfred made a guilty expression on his face.

"Look, I am sorry that I put you on scare tactics, I now know I went overboard!"

"Ha, you bloody did!"

"I forgot to think that murder was scarier in real life"

Arthur looked down on the floor.

"It was more than just this massacre…" Arthur said in a low tone.

Alfred looked at him, being slightly confused.

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked.

Arthur looked at Alfred.

"The prank was good and all but it would not be awful if there were another murderer than Allistor"

"I still don't understand…"

Now it was Arthur who came closer towards Alfred.

"Was I scary during the time I raised you?" Arthur asked.

Alfred was slightly crept out. Arthur talked to him in this soft, nurturing tone he used to speak to him when he was a child.

"Well, I remember that I used to think that your eyebrows scared the crap…"

"Focus you git!"

Arthur became the mad Brit again.

"No, except for the pranks you pulled, you as a legal guardian never scared me"

Arthur smiled at him sadly.

"I tried the hardest I could to be a good brother, which is something I never had"

"But didn't you have 3 older brothers?" Alfred asked.

Arthur nodded.

"And what's up with another being the murderer except for Allistor?"

Arthur took a deep breath and started to unbutton his shirt. Alfred had the feeling that he had to say something, but he only managed to stare at Arthur taking off his clothes. Arthur threw the shirt on the ground and turned around, showing his back to Alfred. On Arthurs back it showed his hot string guitar tattoo all over his left shoulder blade. The tattoo was red and white and had dark little dots at the bottom part of the tattoo. Alfred never understood why it had those dots but it did make the guitar cooler.

"Touch the dots" Arthur said.

Alfred blushed.

"What? Why…."

"Touch them!"

Alfred started to wonder if he was the one who were set up on scare tactics, Arthur scared him now. However Alfred put his hand at the top of the tattoo and slowly stroked it down to the dots. But the dots felt like lumps, no, they were hard lumps!

"Arthur, what are those?" Alfred asked.

Alfred heard Arthur sign.

"Cigarette burns"

Alfred drew his hand back quickly.

"Allistor…he…did this?"

Arthur turned around, facing Alfred with tears in his eyes, nodded.

"To him I was not his younger brother, I was the little punching bag he used whenever he was angry, drunk, upset or whenever he was just bored"

Arthur blinked and a single tear fell from his eye.

"He was drunk so often, which made his very violent and I was the only one who got beaten or received cigarette burns. My other brothers were never abused and they didn't do anything to help me, they just yelled at me for being a rotten little brother."

Alfred felt guilt and pity grew in him the more Arthur spoke.

"I always thought that Allistor was going to kill me one day and seeing him like that last week really felt like the day, that I have always feared ,came"

"Arthur…." That's all Alfred managed to say before Arthur continued.

"You always read and watched scary stuff that made you scared. I tried to cure this stupid habit by pulling pranks on you and hoped that would make you stop doing this to yourself. I let you sleep with me whenever you were scared, but whenever I was scared I used to lock myself up inside a closet, praying and crying all night"

Alfred was stunned. He never knew that Arthur went through something like that, no wonder he was mad at him. Arthur would probably have been laughing with him after the scare tactics prank if only Allistor didn't have the role as the murderer.

"Arthur, I am so sorry, I didn't knew"

Arthur didn't say anything. He put his shirt back on, pushed the tables away from the door and walked away. It seemed like Arthur in reality was very strong, especially when his emotions were let out. Alfred was still inside the closet, letting all the newly told information float inside his head.

"_What am I going to do?"_

* * *

**This is why Arthur was so angry. But how will Alfred fix this? Read the next chapter to find out:)**


	3. The comfort hero

It has not gotten better for Arthur. Every day, or as often Alfred got to see Arthur, he got worse and worse. Under Arthurs eyes were dark circles; his cheekbones were more visible, his skin started to turn into a greyish color and Arthur was so jumpy all the time. There were times at world gatherings and such Arthur suddenly fell asleep and woke up all on guard for a few minutes until he was all exhausted again.

"_What have I done?" _Alfred thought.

Arthur was a rotting wreck and it was all because of Alfred! As a child Alfred viewed Arthur as his number one role model. The one who was never afraid of anything, the one who was always prepared for battles, the one who cared for the loved ones and so on. The prank of putting Arthur on scare tactics, was that all a fun prank or was it revenge? Alfred knew that if one of the parts committed revenge it would only make the other take revenge again and then it would end up in some sort of a war. Arthur was almost in no condition to do anything anymore. Although Alfred never meant to do anything against Arthur, he felt like he has committed a long awaited revenge. Whenever Arthur pulled pranks on him when he was a child, the pranks never scarred him somehow and he quickly got over it. And on top of that Arthur stayed with him whenever he was afraid, whether it was from all those scary stuff he read or saw or if it was from Arthurs pranks. And now although both of them were adults and neither of them was a child, Alfred had to be the one to stay with Arthur till he felt safe again. Alfred got deeply into his thoughts of what came to his mind of the word "safety".

"_Prepare yourself for tonight Arthur, I will come for you"_ Alfred thought.

"

Alfred walked down the street with his hands full. Tonight he was going to make Arthur feel better or at least help him the best way he could. The street was starting to get darker but Alfred's determination kept him going. Well, that and the streetlights…

Alfred stood in front of Arthur's door. The house was completely lightened up, so Arthur was defiantly home. Alfred knocked on the door. Some minutes later Arthur opened the door all shaky and pale.

"Yes, what do you want?" Arthur asked in both an annoyed and curious tone.

Alfred held up the bag he was carrying.

"I've brought some movies and won-"

"Get lost!" Arthur shut the door.

But before Arthur was able to shut the door completely Alfred managed to put his foot in the door opening.

"It's not scary movies, I swear!"

Alfred took one of the movies out of the bag. It was a Postman Pat DVD.

Arthur was confused.

"What in the world?"

"Whenever there is something scary that won't come out of my mind I watch children's cartoons, it actually helps a lot. Why not watch some? Watching those with you will be so nostalgic. Please?"

Although coming here with the movies was mostly meant for Arthur's sake, Alfred also liked the thought of being reminded of the good days of his childhood. Alfred looked at Arthur with the cute puppy eyes he always used on Arthur when he was a child.

"Ok fine, come in then" Arthur said.

When Alfred came in to the living room to start the movie, he noticed how messy everything was. Arthur probably hasn't been cleaning for days! Nonetheless the messy surroundings, it was quite cozy to watch the children's movies and series with Arthur. Arthur also seemed to be more relaxed and not so full of anxiety.

"It's getting late" Alfred said after finishing all the movies and series.

It was pretty dark outside now. It was so dark, even the streetlight wouldn't help any person to see where he or she was going.

"Yes, it is" Arthur said looking all nervous again.

"I suppose it's too dark for you to go home, so you might just as well spend the here" Arthur said that in a low tone.

"Really? Thanks man" Alfred smirked as it the next move went according to plan.

"

Alfred slept in the guestroom downstairs. Or he would have if he was available to sleep. Alfred heard sound upstairs all the time. Usually sounds would have scared him, but the sounds he heard from above weren't scary, they were…sad? Alfred got out of bed to find the source of the sounds. He went closer as he heard the sounds got louder. As he could hear the sounds perfectly well he knew what kind of sounds they were. It was sobbing. There were many sounds that easily scared Alfred but those were not sounds that made you run away, they were the quite opposite. It was those kinds of sounds that could make anybody run to the sobbing person, hug the person tight and comfort him or her the best way you could. Who was sobbing now? There were only two persons in the house so…Oh God!

Quickly but also silently, Alfred got into Arthurs room. Alfred could almost feel his heart break at the sight of what he saw. Arthur was tossing and turning around in bed crying while lots of tears ran down his eyes. Alfred felt a bit panicky.

"_What should I do? Wake him, not wake him?"_ Alfred thought a bit flustered.

But Alfred managed to calm down a bit and took a deep breath.

"_Stick to your plan dude"_ Alfred thought.

Alfred lay down next to Arthur in his bed. It was so awful for Alfred to watch Arthur cry in his sleep. What was more awful was the thought of him being the responsible one for those nightmares. The way Arthur looked like all the time now could mean that he was like this every night ever since the prank! But Alfred was determined to end his suffering.

He scooted up close to Arthur and wrapped his arms around him tight and at the same time gently. This was Alfred's plan from the very beginning. He wanted to sooth Arthur a bit with safe children's movies and series and then comfort him as he woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night. Well, maybe it wasn't precisely according to plan, but this was close enough.

"Hush, do not worry Artie" Alfred said while stroking his hair.

Alfred remembered the times when he was scared as a little child. Those times he would come to Arthur in the middle of the night, crying. Arthur would then pick him up to his bed, lull him, hold him close while they were both sleeping. Alfred remembered how it helped a lot and now it was his turn to be the one to sooth.

"Nothing or no one will harm you, not when I am here with you" Alfred whispered softly in his ear.

After some time Arthur calmed down. He was close into Alfred, not moving at all and the crying stopped.

"

Next morning Alfred woke up still in Arthur's bed with his arms empty. As he opened his eyes the first think he saw was Arthur sitting next to him with a look of surprise.

"What are you doing here, Alfred?" Arthur asked.

Alfred rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"When I woke up this morning you were holding me tight, what in the world were you doing?!"

"Relax Arthur" Alfred said putting his hands up.

"You were crying and restless as you were sleeping and I came to help"

Arthur looked down.

"It did help, didn't it?" Alfred asked.

"Suppose it did…."Arthur said.

Alfred could see it on Arthur that it did help. He looked so much better after a proper night with sleep. The circles under his eyes were barely visible and he didn't look so frightened either.

Alfred glomped Arthur.

"I am very sorry for what I did; I promise I will never do anything like that again!"

Arthur sat up again after being glomped.

"It seems I am all better now, I guess sometimes you can be a hero….thank you" Arthur almost whispered the last part.

Both of them got up from the bed.

"Let's eat breakfast" Arthur said.

Alfred put his hands on his tummy. Prepare for the English scones…


End file.
